Contagious yawning begins in the WOMB, experts reveal

"Experts have discovered foetuses 'catch' yawns from their mothers and have been seen slowly opening and closing their mouths. As part of a study, they recorded the facial expressions of pregnant women while an ultrasound machine captured real-time images of their foetuses' faces. By comparing the two records, the researchers found that foetuses were more likely to yawn after their mothers did, with a delay of around 90 seconds."

"They said yawning may change the mother's breathing, chest pressure and diaphragm movements, which could provide physical cues the foetus detects. Or it could be that maternal yawning triggers a hormone response which the unborn baby can recognise. 'This study provides the first empirical evidence that foetal yawning can resonate with maternal behaviour,' the scientists wrote in the journal Current Biology."

"Generally, foetuses in the womb start yawning at around 11 weeks of development. As there is no air for them to draw in, during a yawn they slowly open their mouths, perform movements that resemble breathing in and out and then gently close their mouths again. For their study the team, from the University of Parma, recruited 38 women who were between 28 and 32 weeks pregnant."

"The women were asked to watch different types of videos, including one showing a person yawning in order to trigger a response. The researchers used an AI tool to precisely track the subtle lip and nose movements of their babies through an ultrasound machine. Foetal yawning increased significantly when the mother yawned, and occurred around 90 seconds later, analysis revealed."

Foetuses in the womb can “catch” yawns from their mothers. Facial recordings of pregnant women during ultrasound imaging show that fetuses open and close their mouths in yawn-like patterns after the mother yawns, typically with a delay of around 90 seconds. The study used real-time ultrasound images and an AI tool to track subtle lip and nose movements. Foetal yawning increases significantly when maternal yawning occurs. Possible mechanisms include changes in maternal breathing, chest pressure, and diaphragm movement that provide physical cues, or a hormone response that the fetus can detect. Findings indicate fetal behavior is integrated with shared biological context rather than purely reflexive.

Read at Mail Online